Sat 5th
Sunshine with a breeze = nice ride on Bella this morning 😉
I’ve been asking S&B to come to the top of the field to get their dinner over the last 2 days….they are good at ‘getting it’ quickly 😉
Tues 8th
You never know when something interesting crops up and time for a wee bit of ‘training’ 😉 I LOVE when this happens and it’s good to see that our training foundation is good that Mr Stormy learnt a new thing very quickly. What was that thing? Well…S&B are used to the quad bike going around doing things, moving agility bits and daily poo picking with the tipping trailer behind it BUT I had not realised until today that they’re NOT used to me moving it while walking along side it. They’ve always seen me RIDING the bike to move it SO when Stormy baulked when I walked with it he must have thought it was moving on it’s own!!
SO, what did I do? I slowly moved the bike and as he stayed with me I stopped regularly and treated him for his obedience to me asking him to stay. As we went along I didn’t move faster but stopped regulalry again to treat him for RELAXATION and CONFIDENCE in the situation 😉 He smashed it 😉
What a clever boy he is 😉
Wed 9th
I woke up late this morning (not a problem, we don’t have schedules as such) and I managed to ride Stormy and then Bella just before lunchtime 😉 LOL
Stormy first….
He was a bit sluggish to start with, it’s been a while since riding him so understandable. We start slow and build up to trot.
Bella 2nd…
She was also a bit sluggish even though I rode him more recently and we had a good play session with her yesterday. Again, like Stormy, we start slowly to get her muscles warmed up and then start doing more trot.
Fri 18th
SO, it’s been a while since riding S or B and it’s because of the weather, it’s been either too hot with flies or midges or drizzling/raining. It’s quite frustrating when you want to ride and exercise your horse and the weather is just against you BUT just being available to grab the opportunities when they arrive is such a blessing 😍🐎🤠 AND I took that opportunity this morning. It’s definitely feeling like Autumn and for us that’s a bonus as no flies and cool enough to not cause S or B to sweat 👍
I started by riding Stormy and leading Bella from him. We did about 16 1/2 mins in walk and a bit of trot.
I then took the saddle off and put it onto Bella and rode her on her own for a bit 😉
Storm saddled, Bella waiting to be led.
Storm was a great leader and Bella followed like a pro.
AND then Bella on her own for some one-on-one time 😉
And finally I lead both S&B from the quad bike back off the paddock grass and onto their track….amazed how well this went 😉 🙂
Viewing the cattle and sheep nearby 😉
Tue 22nd
It often looks like I’m just wandering around when I ride Storm or Bella and the maps often show this madness BUT is it madness??
What am I looking for when I ride.
- Relaxation – shows up as soft neck/body and rhythm in a gait.
- Co-operation – the partnered willingness to go with the flow.
- Impulsion – seen when there is balance and energy in motion.
- Flexibility – to be flexible to the left/right which brings about straightness. 😉
If starting the ride and I check the above 4 things and one or more of them are out of kilter then THAT is what I work on and often it’s all about checking all 4 and getting them all back into balance, even if only one is out, as they all rely and help each other for a soft, easy ride 🙂
< Waiting for me to mount up
Bella having and after ride graze >
- Shelley – HorseSavvy.co.uk